Halo: Ripples Upon The River
by Shadows of Vanity
Summary: One might toss a pebble into the still waters of a calm river, and see naught but a few ripples. Yet, in the fullness of time, the smallest of ripples might grow in size, becoming stronger and greater until it becomes a tidal wave that sweeps all before it. In the same way, the smallest of disruptions in the Tides of Fate can bring forth a tsunami of change...


Just a little one shot to...set the stage, as it were. For what? Well, I suppose you will find out...

Note: This is AU

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Halo: Ripples Upon A River

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_One might toss a pebble into the still waters of a calm river, and see naught but a few ripples._

_Yet, in the fullness of time, the smallest of ripples might grow in size, becoming stronger and greater until it becomes a tidal wave that sweeps all before it._

_In the same way, the smallest of disruptions in the Tides of Fate can bring forth a tsunami of change..._

_It seemed such a small thing, that first pebble. Forthenco, Lord of Admirals, grudgingly concedes a point to his erstwhile lover and rival, Yprin Yprikushma, and agrees to hide a cache of data and technology on the brutalized fortress world of Chi Heisen. Amongst this cache are a pair of powerful A.I., formed from the neural imprints Humanities leaders, ready to wait until Humanity rises again from the ashes._

_As his nemesis, the Didact, led his wife, the Librarian, away from his bedside, Forthenco could not help but smile tiredly. His greatest of foes was correct. The Abomination, the "Flood", would end the Forerunners, avenging the destruction of his people. But their return was assured. The Librarian had promised to re-seed their races on the ancient home world of Erde-Tyrene. If what he was told was true, if their "genetic memory" was preserved in his races last hopes for survival, perhaps they would be lead to that world, and the Cache within. Humanity would rise as a phoenix from its ashes, ready to take their rightful place as the Guardians of the Mantle._

_This hope, this prayer, was his last thought as a living being, before the composer consumed him._

_The second ripple did not occur for millennia, when the decision to test Installation 07 on Charum Hakor was revoked by the Didact, who wished to preserve the planet as a monument to the strength, courage, and will of the race that had nearly bested his own, as well as defeating the Flood for a time. The planet, with its vast Precursor artifacts and libraries, would lie dormant, waiting for its Reclaimers to come._

_And come they would, but not for a very long time. It was the third ripple, born of nothing more than one woman's meddling, that would merge with those before it and create such a wave that the face of galaxies would change before it._

_Catherine Halsley had always had her favorite. She loved all of her children, her Spartans, and wept for those that died or were disfigured forever. Only her hope, her belief, that they would do incredible things sustained her. Yet, for all her love, she had her favorite._

_John._

_The natural leader of his fellows. He was not the fastest, or the strongest, or even the smartest. But they were drawn to him, likes moths to light, and she did what any mother does for their son._

_She ensured he would succeed._

_ "Blue Team will be the odd team out. John-117. Kelly-087. Naomi-010. Grace-093. Alice-130. Lind-058. Nicole-458." Chief Mendez's voice echoed in the silent training hall, and John got to his feet after a moment, receiving a raised eye. "Got a problem, 117?"_

_ "Sir, no problem sir, just wondering why my team is so large, sir!" the boy (who could now use him for a baseball bat) said sharply, and Mendez eyed him for a minute before shrugging._

_ "Wouldn't know, direct orders from Halsley with HighCom approval. So get used to being the only man in a 7 person squad, 117." he grunted back, amused as the boy nodded quickly and sat again. Looking back at his clipboard, Mendez started listing off the next squad._

_Hours later, John found himself at his "mothers" door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked sharply._

_ "Come in, John." Catherine's voice called from inside, and he stepped inside, closing the door before bracing to attention. Looking up from the stack from paperwork she was readying, the doctor smiled and leaned back. "At ease, John."_

_ "How did you know it was me, ma'am?" John asked respectfully as he relaxed slightly._

_ "I always know." she said with a smile, albeit a small one. " I can only assume you're wondering about your team?"  
>"Yes, ma'am. I have no objections-they're all very skilled in their fields, and I have no problem with them personally- but won't such a large team makes us...unwieldy?" John forged ahead, worried that he was overstepping his bounds. Halsley hummed to herself, eyes firmly on his, for nearly a minute before finally speaking.<em>

_ "You will be the best, John, just like you always have been. To be the very best, you need the very best. Your team stands above the rest, even as skilled as all of your siblings are. Your team will be the ultimate power for Earth. You will go where fleets dare not tread, face foes the hardest of soldiers would balk before, and you will be the unassailable aegis that will shelter Humanity. That is why your team is the way it is."_

_ "I...understand." John said hesitantly, nodding slowly as fire built in his eyes. saluting sharply, he bared his teeth confidently. "Blue Team won't fail, ma'am! We will complete Teambuilding Training as the best of the best, and we WILL protect earth and Her colonies!"_

_Nodding, Halsley dismissed him. After the door shut, the doctor found herself staring silently at the spot he had just vacated, before sighing softly to herself. Reaching into a locked drawer, she pulled out a framed photo, she touched the image of the laughing, skinny brown haired bow on top of a hill fondly._

_ "I know you will, John. I only pray that one day, when all of this is over, you forgive me for turning you into a weapon of war." Halsley breathed, putting the photo back in its proper place before looking at her hands. hands stained with so much blood. "Perhaps, with those girls beside you, you can someday find some semblance of a normal life..."_

_Elsewhere, deep inside a hidden mountain fortress, ancient machines slept on, waiting for their inheritors to claim them at long last._

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There. This brief little tidbit is basically a setup for a future series set in Halo. Obviously, it is going to be AU. If any of you are enterprising enough, try to discover what Chi Heisen means.


End file.
